Daily Archives: December 7, 2017

As I believe I wrote about–or at least mentioned in a post, somewhere–thanks to the lovely people (<– read sarcastically) currently in charge of our government, I had to switch my birth control methods earlier this year, from the pill (which went from $0 to costing $200 per month) to getting an IUD implanted (which was a $1,000 surgery that, thank goodness, my insurance covered, after the saddening/baffling change in leadership). It wasn’t my choice and getting an IUD wasn’t my preferred method, yet it was my only option. I have no desire to be a mother any time soon and having regulated, controlled periods have helped out a lot in life.

Except that, of course, since I switched from a pill that I’d been on for years to a new method, my body is out of sync. My periods are no longer in-sync with a time table. They start when they want, they end when they want, they last as long as they please, sometimes they skip a month, sometimes they last two weeks, sometimes they’re light, sometimes they’re heavy. There is no regulation, like I had before. And the cramps. Goodness me, don’t even get me started on the cramps. I thought I had bad cramps before. It’s nothing compared to the pain I experience now.

*sigh*

So, that’s annoying. Yet it’s still manageable. I could be in a lot worse scenarios. But, because of this, I’ve had to leave work early twice. Once because my cramps were so bad, I literally knelt over in my chair at the desk, sweating profusely while feeling like I was going to collapse. The second time, last evening, was because I started my period two weeks early, and was completely unprepared, clothing wise, to be bleeding, with three hours left of my shift. It sucks, but I left and took care of myself at home.

Here’s the part that really floors me.

I needed to email my bosses today (I have two), let them know I left early. And, since transparency is pretty big to me, especially at work; and, since I’ve already had to leave early twice when normally, I’m able to power through, no problem, this might become a reoccurring thing; I wanted to be frank, in telling them my period was causing this and it might be a once a month thing, each time my period starts. Both of my bosses are male.

As are their bosses.

And theirs.

And our Dean of Libraries.

Here’s the thing: I wrote that email frankly. I wrote out “period”, because that’s what it is. I didn’t beat around the bush or try to hide it. I’m not embarrassed by it and I’m never embarrassed to talk about it (obviously, since this entire post features that exact topic). Yet I knew it was going to make them uncomfortable.

Because they’re men.

Don’t get me wrong–I know all men aren’t bothered by this. Yet I have a hunch that my bosses wouldn’t be comfortable discussing this topic. Yet I wanted to give an explanation, because it’s not like me to leave work or have to call in sick. Especially when, today, I feel and look totally fine. I didn’t want them to question my work ethic–especially when, if my body doesn’t re-regulate itself, it’ll probably be like this every month.

It just blows my mind that there isn’t a woman I could have gone to, as my superior, to keep them in the loop. That I technically work two jobs as one position (since I report to two different people) and both of them are male. It’s a bummer that there isn’t a female in charge who I could report to, if I were uncomfortable, even though I’m not; how that isn’t even an option.

That’s really sad.

(Not much of a rant, I realize. More like a…realization. And don’t get me wrong: I work with some really awesome people, who I know are going to be empathetic and understanding, even if it’s awkward and they’re uncomfortable by a perfectly normal, healthy and natural function. It just makes me sad that, the majority of people in power at my work place, are men.)